Starting in January, students at Missouri State will be able to work off campus parking tickets with community service.

The pilot program, which will forgive up to $3,000 in fines during the spring semester, is not open to everyone. Chronic offenders need not apply.

"The good thing about it is people who get a ticket, they get upset about it, but this is a way they can work it off that helps the community," said Tom Johnson, director of MSU's Department of Safety and Transportation. "Our hope, through this partnership, is that students will do their community service and find out it's fun."

Abdillahi Dirie, a sophomore in health communication, said the push for the program came from students and was championed by the Student Government Association's leadership.

"Parking is always an issue," he said.

Abdillahi Dirie(Photo: File photo)

The Bear With Me Program gives students an alternative way to pay the citations. They must apply for the waiver and complete two hours of community service within 15 days from the date the ticket was issued.

The campus has more than 8,000 parking spots.

Asked how many tickets are issued daily, Johnson said it "depends on the day" and typically ranges from 50 to 100.

Johnson said most parking fines are between $35 and $50, but serious infractions, such as parking in a disability access spot, can be significantly more. No citation due to illegal parking in a handicap spot can be worked off.

A student is only allowed to work off one ticket per academic year.

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MSU Public Safety Officer James Black places a parking ticket on the windshield of a SUV in the metered visitors parking lot Tuesday.(Photo: Nathan Papes/News-Leader)

Students interested in working off the tickets will be directed to pick a work station through www.givepulse.com.

Dirie, director of administrative services for SGA, said options include cleaning up vacant lots, completing neighborhood projects or tending a community garden.

"You see the direct impact you have," he said.

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Officials say they have no plans to change Missouri State's primary bear head logo.
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In developing the pilot, MSU students looked at similar programs at other colleges including the University of Arkansas, where up to $24,000 in parking fines are forgiven annually through volunteer work.

Johnson said the initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and if successful, the program will likely be expanded.

"We'll assess it and see how it's working and how much we'll be able to fund," he said.